Number 27
by WynterSky
Summary: Sasuke is declared dead after the Uchiha Massacre and inducted into Root. Several years later, Kakashi encounters an unusual Root member and starts investigating.
1. Prologue Part I

[A/N: This fic will have a double prologue before picking up with the main chapters. Maybe a little odd, but I thought it worked best that way.]

A Request:  
>"Kakashi-san?"<p>

Kakashi paused in some surprise as he turned to respond. ANBU's Boy Wonder mostly kept to himself, almost never interacting with his comrades except during missions. Even now he seemed a little reluctant to speak, although Kakashi could tell that he was on edge about something. "Itachi. What is it?"

"I would rather this conversation be held somewhere a little more private than the corridor," Itachi said finally. He did not sound sarcastic or reproving, as Kakashi would have expected, but rather just worried enough to set alarm bells ringing in Kakashi's head.

"The roof, then," Kakashi suggested, and Itachi nodded before they both _shunshin_-ed almost simultaneously. "So, what did you want to ask?" Kakashi continued, once they were in the lee of a small shed.

"If I were...that is, if something were to...happen to me," Itachi began, "would you take care of Sasuke for me?"

Kakashi frowned in confusion. "What about your family?"

Itachi shrugged moodily, looking out across the city so Kakashi couldn't see his face. "They wouldn't understand. Please, just say you will."

Kakashi was pretty sure Itachi didn't have anything to worry about; his mission success rating was practically legendary, and Kakashi had never known him to be careless. Even so, he didn't see anything wrong with the request if Itachi felt so strongly about it. The kid had enough stress being part of ANBU without having to worry about his family too. "Sure," Kakashi said. "I'll take care of him."

"You promise?"

Kakashi nodded, and Itachi half-smiled, seemingly satisfied. "You have my thanks, Kakashi-san," he said, bounding off the rooftop to the street below before Kakashi could say anything else.

While Kakashi wondered about that episode (and what could have possibly caused it) for a little while afterwards, Itachi never brought the subject up again, and eventually Kakashi put it out of his mind.

[A/N: Finally started this since I felt like having something fresh to work on.]


	2. Prologue Part II

And Its Aftermath:  
>Kakashi was in the nearby postal town of Yubin when the emergency recall alert went out. There was no information, but he knew it had to be something really big if the shinobi already in the city couldn't handle it.<p>

He recieved the alert around midnight, and arrived back at the village just after done—only in time to be told that the alert had been cancelled. there was nothing more that could be done. All of the Uchiha were dead. ANBU was practically in shock; all information seemed to point to Itachi as the culprit and everyone was horrified that their shining paragon could have done something this horrific.

"All of them?" Kakashi asked, remembering his promise. Itachi wouldn't have asked someone to protect his brother if he had been planning on killing him himself a few months later. "Even Sasuke?"

Hayate gave him a quizzical sidelong glance before turning back to look at the smoke still rising past the Uchiha compound walls. It was a terrible scene for the sun to be rising on. "How did you know?"

"I don't know," Kakashi said, deciding that it would not be a good idea to reveal his conversation with Itachi. "Did he survive, or..."

"Well, he's not dead," Hayate replied. "He's at the hospital now. No one else—"

Kakashi didn't wait for the end of the sentence before dashing off. There was no good to be done at the compound, he might as well fulfill his promise.

The hospital was awake, but not active: after its personnel had been mustered out to deal with the disaster it had quickly become clear that medical help was not what was needed. The few staff who had not subsequently gone home were in a sort of shocked daze. Kakashi asked a nurse where Sasuke was and got a rather blank look in return before she seemed to realize what he was saying and led him down a maze of corridors to one of the most secure sections of the hospital. Finally, she unlocked a door and pushed it open. "Sasuke-kun?"

There was no reply, and Kakashi peeked past her, expecting to see the child unconscious or badly injured. Neither was true.

Sasuke was sitting half-propped up by pillows in a bed that seemed much too expansive for his small form. He wasn't visibly injured, but his dark eyes were unnaturally wide as he stared passively at the opposite wall. If he was aware of his visitors, there was no sign of it.

"He's been like that ever since they brought him here," the nurse said quietly. "Maybe you should come back tomorrow."

Kakashi nodded stiffly before turning and heading back along the corridors, the exhaustion from being up for almost thirty-six hour finally catching up with him. Sasuke was as safe as could be right now, if he hadn't been safe in his own home. This whole horrible business was Itachi's fault; Kakashi couldn't be blamed for the condition Sasuke was in.

It was three days before Kakashi returned to the hospital, having been put on extra duty because of the sudden lack of shinobi to go around. Hoping that perhaps Sasuke had recovered enough to talk by now—Kakashi couldn't do much if he couldn't communicate with the kid—he walked slowly through the series of corridors that he had memorized the first time. He didn't bother telling the nurses he was there, as he never paid more attention to authority figures than absolutely necessary.

The door to the little room was open, to Kakashi's surprise. It was just his luck to sneak in and then run into someone, but at least he wouldn't have to mess with the lock.

He halted, confused, on the threshold of the room. There was no wan, dark-haired child in the bed, and a nurse was briskly changing the severe white sheets.

"Where's Sasuke?" Kakashi asked, wondering if the boy had recovered enough to be moved into the children's ward.

The nurse started, realizing for the first time that he was there. "I'm so sorry," she said, her tone making Kakashi's heart sink instantly. "He died, night before last."

_"I'll take care of him."_

_"You promise?"_

Would there ever be anyone Kakashi could protect?

[A/N: I'm doing this like the first Cruel World, so I'm putting the chapters up as soon as they're finished. Editing will come after the whole thing's done and I know what everybody likes about it.]


	3. Chapter 1

[A/N: Here goes...although I didn't mention it in the description (ran out of room) Itachi is a major player in this as well. Also, massive timeskip ahoy! We are now at the time that would in canon be Shippuden.]

Chapter 1:  
>The day was clear and cool, and everything in the forest was hushed and still, even the two figures wearing orange-and-black cloaks. The scene would have been peaceful except for the smoke that could still be seen above the trees, testament to the one-sided battle they had just come from.<p>

Kisame glanced cautiously at his partner, trying to judge his mood. While it was clear that Itachi knew he was being watched, he did not respond, which was likely a good sign. His younger partner was so disturbingly calm, even during battle, that Kisame couldn't help worrying that he would eventually snap and slaughter everything in his path. Kisame just wanted enough warning to get out of the way before that happened.

Itachi had never said anything about the incident in which he had cut ties with his family, literally and permanently, but perhaps something like that had been exactly what occurred. You couldn't use someone of Itachi's personality as a weapon without expecting them to eventually turn against their handlers.

Kisame couldn't see why Itachi was still so worked up over the brother, though. Sure, he must have left Sasuke alive for a reason, but he should have known that he couldn't break a little kid like that and expect him to have any will to live afterward. Besides, it had been years; Itachi had had plenty of time to get over it.

When Itachi had first joined Akatsuki, he had been at least approachable, if aloof and forbidding. Kisame had even thought that they would get along pretty well. Then, a few months later, news of the massacre had finally filtered to Ame. With it had come the information that Uchiha Sasuke, the only survivor of the initial attack, had died just two days afterwards.

It was as if someone had flipped a switch in Itachi's head then. His aloofness had turned to misanthropy, and he was so tightly wound even under his carefully schooled, emotionless face that Kisame sometimes almost thought he could hear the time bomb ticking down.

Itachi finally stood, the abrupt movement startling away a few birds perched in the tree he had been sitting under. "Come," he said quietly, and Kisame fell into step just behind him.

It was always safest to do what Itachi said.

The way back to the Akatsuki base led along a river through the forest. The rushing of the water practically drowned out the sound of their footsteps.

Kisame paused for a drink at a slower-flowing portion of the river. Itachi didn't wait for him, but he was almost never in a hurry and therefore moving slowly enough that Kisame would easily be able to catch up.

Itachi waited until he was sure Kisame was well behind him before relaxing, letting his shoulders slump slightly as he paused to look at his reflection in the river. As he let his carefully developed mask recede, he realized that he looked exhausted. He felt exhausted as well, and there was a steady dull ache in his chest reminding him that he was lucky to be this well off.

Itachi allowed a ghost of a smile to waver on his lips for a moment. Lucky, indeed! He had hoped that his illness would progress more quickly, but no person or thing had yet managed to kill him, no matter how much he wanted it.

Sasuke had been the one originally intended for that task. Itachi had only just made it to the Akatsuki headquarters when the news arrived. The image was still crystal-clear in his mind, despite all the years that had passed: Sasuke's bright-eyed face smiling out of a grainy, black-bordered photograph. _Sole Survivor of Uchiha Clan Dies in Hospital_, the blunt heading underneath had read_._

Itachi had thought his plan was perfect, and it had ruined everything. He had done horrible things to protect Sasuke and his good intentions had done nothing but cause his younger brother's death.

Sighing near-inaudibly, Itachi glanced back briefly to where Kisame was kneeling on the bank before turning to continue on his way. He paused for a moment to survey the trail ahead, but suddenly caught a glint light shining off metal in the corner of his eye.

The first attack was a spread of shuriken, skillfully thrown. These were easy enough to duck, but Itachi's unseen adversary had the advantage of territory, as Itachi was now in a clearer area while the attacker could remain in the thicker trees on the other side of the river.

Itachi was now too busy to look back and see if Kisame had noticed what was going on, but was reasonably sure that his older companion would soon arrive…not that Itachi really needed the help. While the attacker had good aim, Itachi's Sharingan enabled him to block the thrown weapons easily with a kunai. It was just a matter of how soon whoever this was would run out of things to throw, and whether they would give up before then.

Or at least, that was what Itachi had assumed. He was busily engaged in blocking a volley of senbon when he sensed movement from one of the trees above him. Dodging would likely let some of the senbon through his defenses, so Itachi waited until the last possible moment before throwing himself to the side as a black-clad figure dropped from the tree nearly on top of him.

Itachi rolled as he fell, wincing a little as the pain in his chest flared with the exertion. He was a little slow to rise, and only just managed to block his adversary's sword thrust. Taking out two more kunai, Itachi threw them with his free hand, forcing his opponent back and giving him time to ascertain the situation.

His opponent was wearing fitted black clothing, and a black hood and mask that covered almost all of his face and hair. Itachi could tell by body shape that it was a boy and probably in his mid-teens, but little else, and nothing that could identify his origins. The sword he wielded was well-made, but had no maker's mark that Itachi could see, and the sword forms the boy was using were a generic blend of regional styles, impossible to place and difficult to defend against due to the unique patterns. Clearly, some effort had gone into disguising him, making Itachi very curious as to who would be bold enough to attack two of the most dangerous missing-nin on the continent in full daylight.

By this point, Itachi could sense Kisame's chakra signature approaching, although he was still too focused on the fight to look. "There is another one across the river," Itachi called as soon as he estimated that his partner was close enough to hear.

"Got it," Kisame shouted back, after which Itachi could hear some splashing sounds that he presumed was Kisame heading across the river.

With this new development, the boy attacking Itachi paused, drawing back a bit and tipping his head to one side, one hand on his hip. He also seemed to have need to adjust his plans, whatever they were. It was at this point that Itachi would normally consider negotiations, but he just wasn't in the mood for that today. Nor did he want to inflict the massive chakra drain of the Mangekyou Sharingan on himself at the moment, so he would just have to end this the old-fashioned way.

Itachi was preparing for a lethal kunai slash when he noticed the boy's eyes and hesitated. Those dark eyes were so like Sasuke's (_had been_, he reminded himself) and he couldn't bring himself to strike the final blow.

The boy facing him had no such qualms, and moved faster than Itachi had allowed distance for. Not having been expecting a physical attack, Itachi didn't move out of the way in time as the boy seized his arm tightly, pulling him forward. Itachi didn't realize the purpose of this until he felt a senbon slice into his cheek, and at least one more strike his right calf. The injuries immediately began to sear with pain, definitely poisoned. Itachi struggled to catch his breath, trying to walk towards the river and get some water to help flush the toxins out. He only made it a couple of steps before his injured leg gave out and he sank to his knees.

"Itachi!" Kisame shouted, splashing back across the river towards him. Itachi had time to look now, but his vision was going fuzzy. "I found the other one, but he split after throwing a last bunch of senbon… Are you okay? Hey, let's do something about these."

Gentleness was not Kisame's strong point, but once the senbon had been removed from his leg and the puncture wounds cleaned up a bit with water, Itachi began to feel better. Clearly, three senbon's worth wasn't enough poison to be fatal.

"What should we do with him?" Kisame asked once Itachi managed to stand up again.

"Him?" Itachi repeated, then realized who Kisame was talking about.

The boy who had pounced on Itachi from the tree was now lying in a fetal position on the ground, his breath coming in short, raspy gasps. His sword lay a few feet away where he had dropped it to grab Itachi; it had only been a few minutes before.

While Itachi had been little harmed by the three senbon that had hit him, the boy had been struck by at least twelve in his left leg and side. His final attack had obviously been a sacrificial gambit, making Itachi even more curious. "Do you think he could survive?" Itachi asked, walking a bit stiffly over to where the boy lay and kneeling next to him.

Kisame shrugged. "If we get the senbon out right away, he might. Do we really want to drag him all the way back to base, though?"

"I want to question him," Itachi replied firmly, taking hold of one of the senbon and pulling it out. The boy didn't react at all as he removed it, apart from a small spasm. He was pretty far gone and indeed probably wouldn't survive, but Itachi didn't like the thought of just leaving him here.

Once Itachi had taken all the senbon out, Kisame picked the boy up, still grumbling a little. "At least he doesn't weigh very much," Kisame said as he tried to get the boy into a better position to carry (not at all helped by the boy's spasmodic shudders, which made Itachi guess neurotoxin). "If you're that set on keeping him, why don't you take that mask off, then maybe he'll breathe better."

Kisame could be gruff at times, but his suggestions were usually worthwhile to follow. Itachi removed the boy's black mask, then pulled the matching hood back.

The boy's pale face was pinched with pain and damp with sweat, but his jet-black hair fluffed up into stubborn spikes as soon as the hood holding them down was gone. Itachi stared, frozen in shock. "What…?" he whispered vaguely.

"Itachi?" Kisame said in confusion. "Itachi, what's up?"

"I don't—I don't know," Itachi replied after it finally registered that Kisame had said something.

…_Sasuke?..._

It should have been impossible, but maybe—just maybe—Itachi had something to live for after all.

[A/N: Apologies for my neglect of this story; I hadn't given as much thought to the opening as I have to some of my other stories, so this bit was a little sticky.]


End file.
